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20 March 2009

Turnip, Cumin and Coriander Soup

The photos of the turnip are just to set the record straight on the whole turnip versus swede debate. These are turnips! Good old Scottish turnips. Nope, not a swede in sight!

So here is my, well let's just say Indian-style soup for Lisa and my entry for this month's No Croutons Required. This is a creamy, flavoursome soup with a kick, courtesy of the chilli powder. The vegetables can't be said to be traditional Indian fare, but I have given them a nice spicy flavour.

Saute the onion, garlic and ginger in the olive oil until softened, then add the spices and mix well. Add a good splosh of water, to prevent the vegetables from sticking, then add the butternut squash, potatoes and turnip. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through, then whizz until smooth. Add the fresh coriander and season with black pepper. You may add salt it you wish, but sometimes vegetable stock is quite salty anyway.

This is quite a spicy soup. If you would like to cool it down a little serve with a spoonful of natural yoghurt.

27 comments:

I am looking foward to seeing the line-up. I am hoping there are dal soups in there. I bought a bag of toor dal with the intention of making some soup with it. That was before I had the overwhelming urge to make turnip soup.

Rutabagas and turnips are considered different veggies here, according to our CSA farmer. But what do I know. I've never liked rutabagas but I LOVE turnips— especially cut into matchsticks and sautéed with their greens.

Looks delicious and healthy! My husband and I lived in London for a year and I remember my first introduction to the word "swede". It took me a while to figure out the American equivalent, which is rutabaga.

Holler, I don't know what this tastes like, but it looks and sounds delicious and even your photographs of the humble neep make it look like something strange and exotic.I work for the Gardening Scotland team and lots of the Show Gardens this year (the show runs from Friday, 29 May until Sunday, 31 May at The Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh) feature vegetables, but I don't think there's a turnip amongst them. However I know we've got Kohl Rabi and carrots, so the roots are represented.Wendy Barrie will be cooking in our Demonstration Kitchen and I'm going to post her recipes on our website www.gardeningscotland.com later this week.She's going to be joined by the chefs who work at some or the major consulates in Edinburgh, so the food will also have an international flavour.What I've noticed working on the Show this year is that the gap between gardening and food has narrowed dramatically and I know that lots of people will be coming along this year because they want to 'grow their own'. Anyway, I better get back to work - with only nine weeks to go I'm putting in a Sunday shift - but I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your site.Keep cookingAgnes

I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x